Screven County’s Industrial Development Authority got a new chairman Tuesday -- Bobby C. Smith Jr. -- and some good news – King America Finishing has 371 employees, up from 200 employees about a year ago.
That means the company in Dover has hired more people in the last year than were laid off when Sylvania Yarn Systems closed in late 2009. When SYS shut down, it put 150 people out of work.
It’s been apparent that King America has been expanding, if only because its parking lot has been busy with people coming in to fill out employment applications. But just how much it has been growing has been hard to determine.
Company President Mike Beasley has declined to discuss employment numbers or anything that’s happening at the plant with local media. IDA Executive Director Gayle Boykin got the new numbers from the company Tuesday and shared the update with IDA board members.
The board usually meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month, but it met this week, on Tuesday, July 13, so three new board members could take part. The board also agreed to meet again later this month at its regular meeting time -- on the fourth Tuesday, which is July 27.
Boykin said King America went from a high of 230 workers before the recession began to 200 workers about a year ago to 371 workers this week.
King America’s Web site says the company has made numerous fabrics of various processes and finishes for four decades, including 100 percent cotton and cotton-synthetic blends. The fabrics range from twill to sheeting and upholstery fabrics and can be found in the consumer, home fashions and commercial markets, the site says.
The Web site says the company is “experienced at processing to military and other stringent specifications.” Its manufacturing capabilities include scouring, bleaching, dyeing, finishing, mechanical shrinking and sanding. Some of the specialties are fire retardant, crease resistant and soil resistant finishes. The company says it can process fabrics ranging from 45 inches to 123 inches, including mercerization and dyeing.
The Web site says the plant employs 175 people.
Boykin also said the number of jobs at Koyo has increased from 320 in April to 364 this week. The increase at Koyo was expected and had been previously announced. Koyo, recently purchased by the Japanese firm JTEKT, had said it would hire more workers partly because it was moving its precision pins and shafts business from Honea Path, S.C., to Sylvania.
Smith, who was unanimously elected the new chairman of the IDA Tuesday,  was one of three new members chosen recently by the Screven County commission to serve on the volunteer board. Also attending their first regular IDA meeting Tuesday were new members Davy Wells and Stephen Milner.
The IDA board members also unanimously chose David Boddiford as vice chairman and Ricky McGhee as secretary-treasurer. Boddiford was the most recent chairman.
Smith, who operates a farm southeast of Rocky Ford on Highway 17, said he’s excited about serving on the board.
“We have great opportunities right now,” he said. “This is a great place to live. We need to let people know that.”
Milner, of Rocky Ford, is general manager of Planters Telephone Cooperative. Wells, of Sylvania, is an associate broker with Prudential Kennedy Realty.
The open seats on the IDA board attracted unprecedented interest from the public, with 19 people filling out one-page applications volunteering for the posts. Smith said he will resign his post on the county’s planning and zoning board.